Seven held, over 100 kg of smuggled gold seized

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has claimed to have busted a massive gold smuggling racket with seizure of 106.9 kg of gold and arrest of seven persons here.

Acting on a tip-off, its sleuths seized 75 kg of smuggled gold concealed in two vehicles in Mumbai's Dongri area recently, and detained Abdul Ahad Zarodarwala, Shaikh Abdul Ahad and Shoeb Zarodarwala.

Shoeb Zarodarwala and Abdul Ahad Zarodarwala allegedly admitted that they had received a total of over 200 kg of smuggled gold from one Nisar Aliyar.

They sold smuggled gold in the wholesale market for a commission and one of their customers was Raju alias Manoj Jain who had bought around 100 kg of smuggled gold from them in the past, the two told DRI sleuths.

The sale proceeds were sent through "non-banking channels" (hawala) and they had sent Rs 12 crore through one Aaquil Fruitwala to Dubai, they allegedly revealed.

Nisar Aliyar, when summoned by the DRI, allegedly confessed that he had smuggled more than 200 kg of gold into India from Dubai by concealing it in containers of brass scrap.

Apart from Zarodarwalas, he had also sold around 30 kg of smuggled goods to one Happy Dhakad, he said.

A total of 106.9 kg of gold and Rs 1.81 crore in cash have been seized during the probe so far, the DRI said.

Aliyar, Shoeb Zarodarwala, Abdul Ahad Zarodarwala, Shaikh Abdul Ahad, Dhakad, Jain and Fruitwala were arrested and remanded in judicial custody while further probe is on, it said.